New Booth Fee $25 and a huge update

I truly hope your holiday season was the best yet.

I have excellent news for all the artists. As you know, it’s been in the news about Valley View being demolished. Well, parts of it is being demolished and they did start on the demolition.

Eventually it will all be gone, however there will be at least six more Artwalks between now and then. I know this because several AMC staff told me their management told them that AMC extended their lease for another 6 months.

I am lowering the booth fee to $25 and changing up a few things.

To sign up contact Jaye, manager of Skypony Studio 3rdsaturdayartwalk@gmail.com or 214-938-0125

As many of you know, I manage Skypony Studio and we do very well because I stay open late nights every weekend. Including Artwalk weekends. So when many of you have some to me and said you don’t make that many sales, I realized that Skypony seemed to be the only gallery doing well.

That is not my only goal–I want everyone to succeed which is why I changed the setup time from 5 pm to 1 pm when I first took over Artwalk.

Now, I realized that still, many artists have given up on Valley View because of all the media attention regarding the demolition. Many artists closed their galleries, but I can assure you that when it’s time to leave for good, Skypony Studio will no longer be there. So as long as we are there, then there will be an Artwalk.

Now for the game changers.

Valley View is considered a dead mall. During opening night of Star Wars, I watched over 1,000 people flock to the movies and overheard many conversations about how the mall is dead. So if you have this many people confirming that–then we have an issue. A problem that needs to be solved.

This problem is your perception of Valley View as a dead mall. 

Instead of seeing it as such, see it as an opportunity to show off your art. While it is still here, you have a chance to get out there and be seen. Sometimes it will be slow, others there will be a major movie release and AMC Valley View has the cheapest opening night tickets. $6 and $10 3D, which is why I emphasize too much about the movie crowd.

I’ve said before that you need quick selling items, but it’s been brought to my attention that many of you get people coming but not buying. So this bad thing can actually be turned into a great thing and here’s how:

Instead of seeking to make sales, you need to seek to make connections. 

Ever heard of network marketing? Avon. Doterra, Mary Kay are all MLM’s which is a multi level marketing system. They use network marketing to make their money. It’s simply selling yourself to others without seeming like a desperate salesperson. I’ve read the book by Eric Worres called Go Pro. He specializes in the network marketing industry and he says make it your goal to always make at least two connections each day.

During the Artwalk you have the opportunity to make over a hundred connections. GMT has clients who frequent the Artwalks.

The goal now isn’t to make sales, but to make connections. Connections mean repeat customers. So what you need to do is invest in business cards and flyers, make yourself known. Use the Artwalk to promote your brand. Yes, you have a brand–you ARE your brand.

This is why I am lowering the booth fee to $25. I am looking for artists who want to promote their brands and focus on building those connections. By lowering the fee, you can save $35 and use it to invest in business cars, flyers. Design a 4X6 flyer and print it out at Walgreens. I pay $20 for around 100 of them. Turn your flyers into value by including a coupon for shopping in your gallery, online store, or for whatever you wish.

Valley View may be going away soon but right now, it is still here. And you can use it to make a name for yourself as an artist. You can take pictures of your booth, post them online, make a blog about them, and this will give you an image of a professional artist who is big enough to do shows. Meaning you are doing well.

When people buy from me, it’s because I don’t seem desperate even though those jewelry sales put food on the table. People can sense when you are too eager for a sale which is why I want artists who are interested in showing, rather than selling, their work. Here’s an example of a confident artist:

Imagine your booth and a person walking up to it. Instead of bombarding them, just greet them and introduce yourself. Hi, my name is Jaye and this is my work. Let me know if you have any questions.

Their usual response, “Oh wow YOU did this? It’s amazing!” Even though I am inside the gallery, people don’t seem to get that the jewelry is mine.

6 out of 10 people walk away. 4 out of 10 buy. But 10 out of 10 always return because we had a conversation about a particular piece. And they either bring a friend, or another person says, “Hey my friend so and so was here yesterday, are you the jewelry artist?”

This is how you get sales–by making yourself memorable.

So instead of coming to Artwalk hoping to make your booth fee–I lowered the fee so you can afford to come out and stand out while we still have Valley View.